So, this is quite a bit longer than I usually write, but considering I spent more time on it, it probably should be.

Hints and clues, hints and clues!

Enjoy.

He didn't know what to do. It didn't make sense, nothing made sense. He wanted to kick something, scream, yell, rage at the world and at himself. He wanted to drown himself in alcohol or curl up shivering under the blankets and never come out again. Instead he held himself still by will alone, knowing somehow that if he let the flood of emotions go, let his body do what his mind so desperately wanted, then he wouldn't be able to stop.

"Kudoh?"

Yohji didn't react to the voice, only slightly registering that it was Aya's even tones traveled through the air. He sucked in one unsteady breath and tried to calm his thoughts. It didn't work. He felt too many emotions in an overwhelming tidal wave of feeling that didn't cease. Hate, fear, joy, confusion, grief, anger, panic. Panic, panic, panic. That was one he could focus on. That one didn't have any thought behind it, nothing to confuse and hurt him. Panic didn't need anything but itself.

"Yohji?"

Yohji jumped up as if the chair he was sitting in had suddenly caught on fire. He couldn't keep his footing, his legs numb underneath him, and stumbled. Strong arms caught him before he hit the ground and half carried, half dragged him over to the couch. Yohji felt the soft padding against his back and legs like an old mattress's broken metal springs. Though he knew his eyes were open, since the dryness of the air made them water, he couldn't see anything but staticy gray.

"Breathe, Yohji. Breathe."

Oh, please no, what had he done? What had just happened? Yohji felt phantom hands close around his throat like a vice. He could almost see tangled, green thread and a smear of other colors too numerous to name and too bright to look at for long.

"Yohji!"

Yohji suddenly found himself looking into Aya's intense, amethyst eyes. Feeling came back to his body in a spine tingling rush that left him dizzy. He dropped his eyes from Aya's unnerving gaze and looked down to see the man's hand wrapped tightly around his own. He almost jerked his hand away in surprise at the sight. Aya touching someone voluntarily wasn't unheard of, but it was very, very rare.

"Kudoh?"

Yohji looked back up at Aya, careful to keep his body still. He didn't want Aya to notice where his hand was and move it. Aya's touch seemed to be the only thing that could ground him and Yohji didn't want to end up back in the emotional haze of before.

"Aya, what…" Yohji paused to suck in a deep breath of air and lick suddenly dry lips. "What's going on?"

Yohji watched Aya hesitate. He opened his mouth as if he was going to say something, then snapped it shut and started to pull away. Yohji wanted to stop him, to grab him and keep contact with this anchor to sanity he had found, but he didn't. He just sat there as Aya pulled away and felt anger begin to rise within him.

"I can't believe you brought them with us," Yohji hissed, suddenly and irrationally furious.

Aya froze before him, so completely still it looked like he wasn't breathing. Yohji paid no attention to the wary, concerned look in the man's eyes.

"They're our enemies. We shouldn't be anywhere near them, much less helping them!" Yohji knew he should stop talking, that he wasn't making any sense. But somehow the whole room was off, like something was missing. It reminded Yohji of when he'd temporarily lost his hearing during an explosion on a mission. He'd sat in his room that night, watching the thunder storm raging just outside his window. It had been so eerie to watch lighting crest in the sky and to see the winds rushing things past his window without being able to hear any of it. Yohji hadn't slept at all that night.

Yohji's unease over that sensation kept pushing at him, finally prompting him to gather his feet under him and launch himself at Aya, desperate to cause someone else the confusion he was feeling. He didn't actually know how knocking Aya to the ground would make the other man confused, but he didn't pause to figure out the logic of it. He needed to lash out and Aya was the closest breathing object. He would do anything to make the feeling of someone pulling his insides out in long, thin strands stop. It was something he had never felt before and it was just this side of pain.

Yohji collided into the body before him. They toppled to the floor, Yohji only staying on top because a pair of arms clenched around him, protecting him from the hard floor. The man beneath him hit the ground hard, his body cushioning Yohji's fall. Yohji's mind was suddenly clear again, shocked out of his anger as if someone had hit a light switch.

Aya lay almost limply below him. His eyes were shut tightly, fine lines of pain crinkling the skin between his eyebrows and at the corners of his eyes. For a second Yohji was terrified that Aya wasn't breathing, but then a faint hiss escaped through clenched teeth.

"Oh, shit. Shit!" Yohji gasped around his closed throat. "I am so sorry Aya. I really…I really didn't mean…Oh, shit!"

"Get off me."

"Shit, Aya…shit! I am so-"

"Get. Off. Of. Me." Aya repeated.

Yohji finally got the message and scrambled frantically to get off Aya. As he was moving he accidentally bumped his knee into Aya's side. Aya hissed, jerking his knees up and curling protectively over his side.

"Oh, damn it, Aya. I am so sorry." Yohji said, remembering the wound Aya had received before they left the Koneko. "Aya? Are you okay? Come on, talk to me."

"Are you trying to kill me, Kudoh?" snapped Aya.

"No!" Yohji yelped, feeling the panic creep back into the edges of his mind. "No way. I really didn't mean-"

"Yohji, shut up."

Yohji did, sucking in a deep breath of air and closing his eyes. He took another breath and tried to center himself, like he remembered being taught in those damn meditation classes Omi had coerced them into taking. Aya, of course, had gotten out of it. Yohji had no idea how Aya had done it, but he would have done anything to get out of the 'calming experience',

Now he was almost grateful for the lessons. After just a few deep breaths Yohji felt calm and collected again. He felt like himself for the first time since all of this crap had started.

Yohji opened his eyes when he heard Aya's groan to see the redhead slowly pushing himself up off the floor. Yohji rushed forward to support him, ignoring Aya's protests as he helped him up onto the couch. Once Yohji was sure Aya was settled he got up to find a first aid kit, for he had noticed the bit of blood staining Aya's shirt.

"Hey, Aya, where's the first aid kit?" Yohji winced. Maybe he shouldn't have said that, finding the damn thing himself would at least prevent Aya from…

"I don't need-"

Yohji cut him off before he could get to very far into his 'I'm fine and don't need or want your help' speech. "Aya, there's blood leaking through your shirt!"

"Kudoh," growled Aya in warning. Yohji would have been more reassured—and scared—by Aya's tone if he hadn't seen the man wince as he shifted on the couch.

"Look, I just want to check it to make sure my little segment of insanity hasn't made it worse." Yohji was careful to keep his voice even and neutral. Aya tended to react badly to needing help, and even worse to people trying to take care of him.

A few heartbeats of silence passed before Aya answered, "In the compartment next to the fire extinguisher."

The metal next to the extinguisher was dented and dull from use. Inside was a battered first aid kit that had everything you could possibly need for non-critical injuries.

"This is some first aid kit," mumbled Yohji in awe and trepidation.

"There's a better one in another compartment," replied Aya in an absent, distracted tone of voice. Yohji decided he didn't want to know how badly someone needed to get hurt to need the 'better' first aid kit.

Suspicious of Aya's tone, Yohji looked up to see the redhead pushing himself up off the couch. He had to fight the urge to rush over and push Aya back onto the couch, especially when the redhead stumbled.

Aya walked slowly over to a stiff-backed metal chair that was bolted to the floor. It suited him somehow to sit in that chair, but Yohji didn't think it was very comfortable.

The wound wasn't as bad as Yohji feared. The blood on Aya's shirt was old and dried. The bandage was stained with blood, but the blood was dry and the wound underneath was clean and healing.

"Let's just get a new bandage on this, shall we?" asked Yohji, not bothered when Aya didn't respond.

As Yohji bandaged Aya he started talking. The fact that he was bandaging Aya calmed him and allowed him to talk about things he normally wouldn't. Someone who's injured enough to need your help isn't dangerous, right? Yohji unconsciously ignored the fact that his reasoning was a little off because Aya is always dangerous.

"I don't understand what's going on. I mean…shit, Aya! I wanted to protect him, protect Schwartz."

"His name is Schuldich…and we're going to have to protect each other if we want to get through this." Now that didn't really sound like something Aya would say.

Aya was avoiding Yohji's eyes, staring resolutely down at the carpet. When Yohji moved his head to catch the man's gaze he quickly flicked his eyes over to the window curtains, never once looking at Yohji.

"Why do we have to protect them, Aya? What's so terrible that we have to work with Schwartz?" Yohji was beginning to think that he didn't really want to know, but if it was bothering Aya this much it wasn't something he could ignore.

"Before…" Aya trailed off and shook his head almost violently. In the few seconds it took for Aya to collect himself Yohji finished with the bandages, pulled back, careful not to draw attention to himself, and waited for Aya to speak.

Yohji waited so long that he began to think Aya had just forgotten his presence. But when Yohji made to get up Aya started talking quickly, stumbling over the words as they tried to escape his mouth.

"I've worked for Kritiker on two different teams. Weiss and Crashers. In Crashers I was a stand-in for one of their members who was injured. When that member returned Kritiker didn't have another place for me. I was a non-lethal and at the time all the non-lethal teams were full. When I went in search of jobs outside of Kritiker I found the Consortium. Though it might be more accurate to say the Consortium found me."

Aya fell quiet and Yohji spent the reprieve trying to absorb all the information Aya was telling him. It was more about Aya's past the Yohji had ever hopped to know. In fact the only really important things he knew about Aya's past were his sister and former name. Everything else he kept to himself, and there was no way Yohji was going to interrupt him now and risk losing this look into Aya's past—even if he didn't understand was Aya was talking about when he mentioned the Consortium.

"I worked for the Consortium for a few years, then had to…leave because of certain events. I came back to Kritiker and joined Weiss."

Aya faded out again and Yohji loathed making him continue. As Aya talked he spoke in a clinical, emotionless voice that made it seem like he was talking about some random person who just happened to have the same name as him. It was only during those long pauses, when his eyes glazed and his hands clenched in his lap, that Yohji knew this was very personal information and Aya probably wasn't telling him everything. Aya hadn't even answered Yohji's actual question. He asked again, "Aya, why are they so dangerous?"

"They're the underground of the underground," Aya said. "They're the group that polices the actions of every crime and vigilante organization in Japan, as well as many other countries." Aya was looked up into Yohji's eyes. "They're not good people, Yohji. If you gain their protection then you've got an army behind you that will do anything to protect you. But if you gain them as an enemy…then you're dead or worse than dead. And I…left behind a few enemies in the consortium."

Yohji knew he shouldn't say anything, knew he would break the peace and quite of this confiding moment, knew Aya would probably get mad at him, but…"We'll protect you, Aya. Whatever it is, we'll get through it."

Aya stood up abruptly, looking uncomfortable and angry. Yohji sighed, knowing he had killed any chance of learning anything further.

"If you want to be of help get along with Schuldich," Aya said stiffly. He walked swiftly out the door before Yohji had a chance to protest.

Yohji just sat there for a while, feeling cold on the inside. Aya had reacted badly, but not like he had assumed he would. He hadn't said something like 'I don't need your protection, I can take care of myself' and it freaked Yohji out that Aya was acknowledging that he needed protection and in a small way asking for it.

Yohji was going to get along with Schuldich even if it killed him.

Shouhei stared down at the dead sibyl with a vague feeling of relief at her death. This contract was causing more problems than it was worth, and Shouhei didn't think it was entirely on the level. First one of his team had been killed and now it looked like a conflict between the Consortium's two most powerful members was building. That is, if what the sibyl had said was true. The new Consul had always hated the Consort, but the Consort had never lowered herself to his level and attacked back. Shouhei had always respected her for that, but now it looked like Phelan was trying to force her hand by killing one of her friends.

"Well, I think you may be more trouble than you're worth, Crawford," said Shouhei.

"Othello…" So Crawford did remember him. That probably wasn't a good thing considering how they had parted the last time.

"I don't go by that name anymore."

Crawford tried to sit up and then collapsed back into the bed. While Crawford panted, trying to overcome the pain from various wounds, Shouhei gave him time to compose himself by calling Umi and telling her to bring in one of the Consortium's doctors. When he hung up he looked down to see Crawford a little less pale and a once again in control of himself.

"I've never liked you Crawford," continued Shouhei as if nothing had just happened. "Too much of an arrogant bastard for me. But while you are here you are under my protection and no one, especially not one of Phelan's pets, is going to kill you."

Shouhei knew the man had understood every word he had said and was purposely ignoring them. "You have a contract out on my team," Crawford said.

"But I do not have a contract on you, and it is the fault of my team you're here." That really shouldn't have mattered. Shouhei had known when he took the contract that if they planned to kill any one of the Schwartz team, they would have to kill them all.

"If you plan to kill any of my team, then you will have to kill all of us," Crawford said, and for a second Shouhei wondered if Crawford had pick up telepathic abilities since the last time he'd seen him.

"I am…unhappy with this contract'" said Shouhei, not really sure why he was telling Crawford this. "Even with Phelan's blessing it does not seem to be in the best interests of the Consortium. In fact, I am beginning to doubt that it even has the Consortium's approval." Or that the Consortium even knew about it. "I believe I will bring the matter to the attention of the Consort. You will be accompanying me."

"Neither of you will be going anywhere."

Shouhei was berating himself for his negligence even before the rifle butt slammed into his back and forced him onto the ground. Who ever was behind him jerked his arms up behind his back and he felt metal cuffs bite into the skin around his wrists. Umi was standing in front of him, a gun pointed steadily at his head.

"Thank you for calling me so promptly, but it seems we're at a bit of an impasse," she said. "I had thought I would be able to work for you for a while longer, but you've forced my hand. I cannot allow you to report to the Consortium."

Shouhei glared at her, refusing to ask why she was doing this or what was going on. They had formed the team knowing that it was temporary, but he hadn't expected it to end like this.

"Take them to the lower levels; we can't have any of the others finding them here."

The person behind him jerked Shouhei up, holding onto his chained hands and forcing him to walk bent over and off balance. He saw Unna dragging a barely conscious Crawford out of the corner of his eye and wondered who it was that pushed him so roughly toward the door. If it wasn't Unna and it wasn't Umi…

"What do you plan to do with the body?" said a shockingly familiar voice from behind him.

"I'll call Phelan and see if he wants it. Either way, it will be gone by tomorrow," Umi answered. She turned to Unna and said, "Unna, get him cleaned up before you put him with the others, we can't have him dying from blood loss." Then Umi turned on her two inch heel and walked out.

Rough hands pushed him toward the door and Shouhei complied without protest. He was so tempted to speak, to ask the man behind him what he was doing, but he knew that would be a bad idea with Unna still there.

They split up in the hall, Unna dragging Crawford off to the left and Shouhei being pushed a little more gently to the right.

"I bet you're just dying to ask me what's going on," came the familiar, gleeful male voice.

"What the hell do you think your doing, Shige?" hissed Shouhei as he did his best to keep his voice low so no one would overhear.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm dragging my fearless leader, whom I've betrayed, down to the evil, monster infested dungeons of my new master." He sounded like a kid at Christmas.

"Are you enjoying this?" asked Shouhei who was now really confused. He hadn't see Shige in over a year, but nothing could have changed the man enough so that he was having fun shoving his former teammate down the stairs.

"Hell, yes, I'm enjoying this. What's not to love about working for someone you hate and putting your best friends into his dungeons? When you see Murata can you tell him I'm still on your side? I sorta didn't have time between his thinking I've betrayed him and trying to kill me and all."

Even though Shouhei didn't really understand what Shige was saying about Murata he decided not to press the issue. Beneath Shige's light and cheerful words Shouhei could hear a fine thread stain.

"You're working for whom? Phelan?" questioned Shouhei. They had gotten off the stairs and were now walking through a brightly lit, barren hallway.

"Yep."

Shouhei wasn't sure how to answer that. Shige hated Phelan, had hated him ever since he had gone into Phelan's manor in search of Red, the time he had disappeared. Red hadn't come out of that house with Shige, but Shige had said he was okay—and then, in uncharacteristic fury, had vowed to kill Phelan.

"Well, off to the dungeon with you. I'll make sure our friendly neighborhood Crawford doesn't pick up any more injuries. Be sure to get some rest, next on our agenda we have the Consortium meeting of the century to crash."

I loved writing Shige. I think I'm going to have to get him, Yohji, and Schudich drunk sometime. It'd be interesting to see what kind of pranks they'd pull on the others.

Oh! Could at least eight people review? It could be about anything: "I love this sentence" or "did you notice you forgot to put the 'ed' on this word?" or you could tell me if you like my OCs or not. If you do review I'd have 100 reviews in 15 chapters, which would be REALLY COOL!! I would be so happy that I'd...I'd give you the next chapter early!

...now I have to go write the next chapter.

Ja ne!

6:48 PM

03/12/07